Makeup kit make-over

This is it ladies crunch time. I know that you have to be "in the mood" to really examine and sit yourself down on a table and re-do your makeup kit. Yes, it is a chore especially if you have a lot of makeup. But this is "must." I’ll help make your life easy. All you have to do is follow this checklist and you’ll be done in no time. Don’t worry because you don’t have to start from scratch. All you have to do is to add and update your current makeup kit. But if you’ve had that kit for more than three years now, then time to change it. Notice that on the makeup packages there are no expiry dates on it so I will give you guidelines that will more or less tell if the products you have are still good to use or not. You don’t want to know the different kinds of bacteria that have accumulated in there for the past decade. Always remember that a makeup kit should be easy to clean so germs won’t accumulate and find their way into your products and cause you to have problem with your skin. Thanks to the ever-reliable Citibank Visa credit card, this gift is just a swipe away.

Here are the steps:

1. Open your makeup kit.

2. When removing each product from your makeup kit, create a pile for the foundation and powder, eye makeup, blush and listick and of course, your trash pile.

3. Open each product and smell them. If it smells foul, then place it on the trash pile.

4. If your liquid foundations separate, then put them on the trash pile.

5. If your lipsticks change color and if they smell foul, place them also on the trash pile.

6. Change mascara every three months.

7. Take note that your blush is good only for year.

8. Eye and lip pencils are also good for a year, otherwise, they too belong to the trash bin.

9. Wipe your makeup kit clean with baby wipes and alcohol.

10. Wash your makeup brushes every week.

11. Disinfect your eyelash curler before and after using it.

12. List down the products you have on your "trash pile."

13. Clean each product before putting it back in your makeup kit.

14. Place all eye shadow products together in one drawer.

15. In the second drawer, place your mascara, eye pencils, makeup brushes, lash curler, tweezers and eyebrow paraphernalia’s.

16. In the third drawer, put foundations, blush and powders.

17. In the fourth drawer, keep your q-tips, cotton, alcohol, Evian, makeup remover, makeup wedges, baby wipes and Kleenex.

Product Guidelines:

1. Foundations and powders. If liquid or cream foundation is more than six months, throw it. If your pressed powder is more than a year old, throw it. If the ingredients begin to separate in the bottle or the texture thickens or thins or smells, throw it.

2. Lip-gloss and lipstick. If they’re more than a year old, throw them.

3. Eye/lip pencils. After a year, they have to go. Always sharpen your pencils before using to prevent infecting your eye with bacteria. If it dries or crumbles, then you have to toss them out.

4. Mascara’s life span is only three months. If it’s more than this, throw it.

5. Blush. You can keep your blush for just a year; after this, you have to throw it away, too.

Checklist: In your makeup box, you should have:

• Makeup brushes (blush brush, eye shadow brush, brow brush, lip brush, powder brush), tweezers, sharpener, eyelash curler, Evian, Kleenex, cotton buds, makeup wedges, alcohol, baby wipes, foundation, eye shadows (earth tones), eye liner (black, brown, black-blue), mascara, blush (peach, pink, bronze), long-lasting lip colors (nude, red, pink, peach), lip gloss (nude, peach, caramel), lip balm, makeup remover, moisturizer

Tips to help extend the use of makeup products:

1. Basic hygiene is very important. Always wash your face and hands with soap first.

2. Use common sense. If it smells foul, toss it.

3. Use q-tips, makeup spatula or spoon to get a little bit of products that you will use instead of directly placing your fingers in the product.

4. Keep containers tight when not in use.

5. Store makeup in cool and dry place. Proper storage is key to helping product usage longer.

Products to carry in your purse:

• Oil blotter, pressed powder, lip color (lip palette with several colors will be best), peach blush, eye pencil, mascara, lash curler, Kleenex, lip balm.

As a professional makeup artist, I get frustrated most of the time taking pigments off my makeup cases every time I clean them. So I designed this makeup kit in such a way that, first of all, it is easy to clean (so that bacteria won’t accumulate and contaminate your products). This will also make sure that the makeup won’t stick on the material and will always be water proof. The kit also has drawers to get everything neatly placed and organized so you could find the smallest product easily. A well-organized makeup kit will look good on top of any dresser so you don’t have to hide it in your closet. It feels great to actually look forward to opening your clean, neat and organized makeup kit with the "new" makeup "goodies" you can play with. A well-maintained makeup kit saves you time especially in finding that favorite pencil or lip color under a "pile." So start your year right by giving this important gift to yourself, the essential tools to a better and improved you.

(E-mail the author at checheljoson@gmail.com)